By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Less than two years after his father passed away, the son of a Del Rio sports icon has died.
Lance Blanks, 56, the son of Del Rio sports standout Sid Blanks, died May 3, 2023 after taking his own life. Blanks’ suicide was revealed in “Remembering the man, my father Lance Blanks,” a story penned for ESPN.com by his oldest daughter, Riley Blanks Reed. It was published earlier today.
Regarding Blanks’ death, Reed wrote, “On the morning of May 3, 2023, my father, Lance Blanks, took his life. People will ask, ‘How did we not see it?’ And people will say, ‘This wasn’t him. Someone like him wouldn’t do this.’ People will want more information. But the fact is we will never truly know why. And we don’t need to. All we need to do is remember him, honor him, celebrate him and pour our love into the family that made him happy. All we need to know is that, oftentimes, the people in the most pain are the giants in our lives.”
Blanks’ death was initially reported to the 830 Times by a member of his family as being from an “auto accident.” Though his death was reported as being under investigation, Reed’s story was the first to reveal Blanks’ actual cause of death.
Tributes to the former basketball star poured in from many of his former teammates including former Pistons teammate, and NBA Hall of Famer Joe Dumars who wrote, “Lance was a light for all those who knew him. It’s been a privilege to have called him one of my closest friends. I’m eternally grateful for all the support he has shown me throughout the years.”
Blanks is survived by his mother, Clarice; brother, Sidney Jr.; the mother of his two daughters, Renee; his daughters, Riley and Bryn; and granddaughter, Isabel.
Born in Del Rio in 1966, Blanks would attend high school in The Woodlands where he would become a basketball standout. He was named Texas Mr. Basketball and eventually attended the University of Virginia and University of Texas where he played for both schools.
He helped lead Texas to the Elite Eight of the 1990 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. He would leave Texas as the school’s all-time leader in steals and ranked fourth in career scoring average at 20.0 points per game. He would be inducted into the Texas Athletics’ Longhorn Hall of Honor in 2007.
He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the 26th overall pick in 1990. He played three seasons in the NBA as part of the Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves.
After his playing career was done, Blanks returned to the NBA and served in a variety of roles for several teams. He was a scout for the San Antonio Spurs, an assistant general manager for the Cleveland Cavaliers and general manager of the Phoenix Suns. He would also serve as a television analyst for the Longhorns and Spurs as well as for other teams.
In his later years, Blanks spent time discussing the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) on former football players such as his father, Sid, who played for the AFL’s Houston Oilers and Boston Patriots from 1965 to 1971. The elder Blanks was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and inspired Lance’s research.
Lance also returned to his roots by developing Sugarbear Estates, named for his late father, which also incorporated the Blanks’ family property.
Sid Blanks passed away in December 2021. The father and son duo are part of a group of current and former athletes with Del Rio ties who will be memorialized as part of a mural dedicated to athletics at the corner of Dignowity and South Main streets. The project began in the summer of 2022 and is expected to be 140-feet long and 20-feet high once completed.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
